Josepha: A Prairie Boy's Story

by Jim McGugan, Murray Kimber (Illustrations)

The time is 1900, in the midst of the great waves of European immigration to North America. Standing in the dust and wind of the prairie, a young boy prepares to say good-bye to Josepha, his older classmate, who is leaving the alienating world of the classroom where no one speaks his language. But what a wonderful friend he has been! And without a common language between them, how will his younger friend ever say good-bye? What gift can he give Josepha to show how special their friendship has been? Josepha depicts a facet of pioneer life seldom considered - the immigrant child's struggle to begin again in a strange land.

Genres: Picture Books, History, Canada

32 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1994

Reviews

[Amanda Rutledge · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Josepha: A Prairie Boy's Story", is an enchanting read for older children(Probably fourth to sixth grade. Although the pictures are bright and simple, the plot and the vocabulary used is not very easy to understand. This book is set in the year 1900, and tells the story of a local boy befriending an older immigrant student who cannot speak english. This is what makes the book so unique, because although the two boys cannot communicate with words, they have shared a friendship through body language and actions. This is a good picture book for read alouds because the illustrations are bold and brightly colored. Most of them take up two pages. However, the text on each page is a little lengthy so you will want to make sure to take breaks every few pages to make sure the class is comprehending the story.

[Gabriele Goldstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. What a poignant telling of an immigrant's shaming. I got to start school at the beginning and felt enough shaming even then because of language and culture. Never thought much of how difficult it would have been for a fourteen year old. Such beautiful images. The one with the British flag on the schoolhouse resonates with me. What a British-influenced education it was for Canadian immigrant children, even back in the sixties. And the telling, the actual words were emotive and insightful. Favourite ones: "But Josepha's face darkened. Lightless as the window in his family's sod shack . . . "
and then, "This was the way for all of them, those older ones. One year, shamed. Maybe two. And then they'd be gone from class. They'd be gone forever." I have to pay more attention to picture books. They might be simple, but they can also be deep.

[Linda Fast · Rating 4 out of 5]

What drew me to this children's story book was the simple but beautiful illustrations. Josepha does not speak English so he must sit with the younger children in school. Josepha sits by a younger student and they become fast friends although they have a language barrier. Josepha is quitting school to go and work to help his family. The younger student struggles to say good bye and offers up a precious present.

[KaitandMaddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The kids didn’t really understand this one, but it’s so, so sad for me.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

beautiful art!

[Cheriee Weichel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this gorgeous picture book many times. It won the Governor General's award the year was published. Set in 1900, it's story of a young boy coming to the Canadian Prairie from Europe. Because he doesn't speak English, he is put into a primary classroom. While he's older than the rest of the kids, Josepha looks after them and they admire him even if he doesn't communicate with words and wears no shoes.

[Rose]

JP McG